‘Six by Sondheim’ Director James Lapine on the Composer’s Music

Tonight, HBO airs “Six by Sondheim,” a documentary about the life of the composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim, the genius behind such Broadway musicals as “Company,” “Sweeney Todd,” “Follies,” “Sunday in the Park With George” and “Into the Woods,” which is currently being made into a feature film starring Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp and Emily Blunt, for release next Christmas.

“Six by Sondheim” contains archival footage as well as footage shot for a revue of Mr. Sondheim’s music that played on Broadway in 2010 called “Sondheim on Sondheim.” Both that revue and the documentary were directed by Mr. Sondheim’s frequent collaborator James Lapine, who wrote the books for “Into the Woods,” “Sunday in the Park with George” and “Passion.”

For “Six by Sondheim,” Mr. Lapine commissioned Todd Haynes and Autumn DeWilde to direct music videos of two of Mr. Sondheim’s famous songs, “I’m Still Here” and “Send in the Clowns.” Mr. Lapine provides his own version of “Opening Doors” from “Merrily We Roll Along” which Mr. Sondheim has described as his most autobiographical song. Mr. Lapine’s version stars the actors America Ferrera, Jeremy Jordan and Darren Criss, with a special appearance by Mr. Sondheim himself as a theater impresario complaining that the composers, played by Messrs. Jordan and Criss, haven’t brought him “a tune you can hum,” a complaint oft expressed, unjustly, about Mr. Sondheim’s own work.

In this conversation here with WSJ reporters Marshall Heyman and Pia Catton, Mr. Lapine talks about the documentary and his relationship with Mr. Sondheim.

“What I tried to do is make a portrait of the man I know, for those who don’t know him,” said Mr. Lapine.

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